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Here’s a couple of films that weren’t in the London Bicycle Film Festival 2007. I was disappointed not to see them, because they are amongst the best films I have seen on bicycle messengers.

The first is called ‘On the board’:

The maker of ‘On the board’, Dan Gingold, says that he was inspired to make the film because I get the feeling that the general public thinks that the job we do is simple. I wanted to show that there are a lot of skills involved, from the physical aspect of being fast and not getting run over, to the logistical aspect of having to keep a bunch of different information in your head and using that information to do the job well. The radio system that my company uses is much more challenging and engaging then the normal Nextel dispatch, and I wanted to highlight that.

He also says that he doesn’t dislike any videos, but some of the films in which the messengers get to boasting about how they are “the best” [get] a little old.

The second is called Even the girls:

As you can see, this film was made in NYC and is about girl messengers. The maker is Ashira Siegel and she has a little more info on the Red Riding Hood site.

Along with Philip Diprose’s Written in the streets (which was in the London BFF last year), I would say these are my favourite films about messengers. There are other films made by messengers, or feature messengers, (Roller Race & Tag, for instance) which are as good, but these are the best films about the job that I have seen.

Actually, the first film was in the festival in NY this year… as everyone in london likes to gripe that the BFF is too New York/SF-centric, we tried to pare down the films sourced from these locations, to highlight more of the “best” “coolest”, and of course “fastest” Messengers in the world: LONDON’S!
but point taken. On the Board is a great film and perhaps we will screen it next year.
Any more gems, feel free to send them my way.

BFF played different films in each of the cities. I can only assume perhaps they were played the year before in that venue. I know Ashira’s been in Los Angeles for two years now so perhaps her movie was played last year in London?

I volunteered in Los Angeles, Milan, and Rome. The latter two were only a week apart, but because the BFF had been in Milan before we played different films.
For example, B.I.K.E was played in Rome but not in Milan, presumably because it was played in Milan last year.

Last and perhaps most likely Brendt, the producer, just doesn’t like Dan whom I’ve never met, or Ashira whose company no sane person could enjoy.

Franz, whether or not Ashira is fit company for a sane person is not relevant. I have never met her, as as I know, and I like her film. I am sure that Brendt would not exclude an otherwise worthy film because he didn’t get along with the maker.

As the films were made this year, I think it is most likely that there simply was not enough time to show them. Perhaps ‘Roller Race’ showed in place of one or both of the above films.

I’m pretty sure Franz was joking. he’s actually a friend of mine ;) (even if his online jokes don’t come off as jokes the way he intends!)

Even The Girls debuted at the BFF in 2004. Brendt actually asked me for a copy to play at the London BFF bc it never played there but in all the insanity of everything goin on in my life at the time, I never mailed it to him in time :(

and I still have your questions that you emailed me so long ago……………. sooooooooon I promise :)